By Lance Concannon, UK social media lead at Text 100

Speak to any senior corporate comms exec about the barriers that prevent them from using social media more in their organisation, and I guarantee that the issue of ‘risk’ will usually come close to the top of the list. This raises a couple of questions; what exactly are the risks posed by social media, and how can we negate, or at least mitigate, them?

What if people say bad things about our brand?

People often think that creating social media channels for the brand will add fuel to the fire of criticism, but that really doesn’t make any sense. Almost all brands have detractors, and social media makes it easier than ever for those detractors to share their opinions online and there’s not a lot you can do to stop that. (more…)

Following a landmark year for location based services, mobile marketers are looking towards 2012 as the year when location based technology will pervade many of the services available on users’ handsets.

Last year Foursquare reported that over 15 million users and 600,000 businesses had joined the platform, resulting in over a billion check-ins. Location technology is firmly on the radar for many leading brands, and makes up a key part of the agenda at SMWF Europe in London in March. (more…)

A big thank you to those that attended the Social Media World Forum in New York.

Also a special thank you to all the speakers, sponsors, exhibitors & media partners we enjoyed working with you and look forward to meeting you all again next year!

Greg Cargill kicks off the Social Media Hub with the Fundamentals of Social Media.

Panel Discussion: Examining strategies for using social media for business to business marketing

Chairman/Moderator: Joshua March, Co-Founder,  Conversocial 

 Linette Gomez, Senior Director, Internet Marketing – Social Media,CA Technologies
Jeannine D’Allegro, Marketing Director, Social & Digital Engagement Strategy, Dun & Bradstreet
Price B. Floyd, Vice President of External Engagement and Digital Strategy, BAE Systems

Keynote Panel Discussion: What is Social Reputation and why this should matter for your business

Chairman/Moderator: Joshua March, Co-Founder,  Conversocial 

 Garth Holsinger, VP of Sales and Business Development,Klout 
Ted Rubin, Social Marketing Strategist & Brand Evangelist & Chief Social Marketing Officer,Collective Bias
Paul Papadimitriou, VP + Principal Analyst, Constellation Research
Jason Wellcome,  Head of Digital Group, Weber Shandwick

Networking bar

Social Media Hub chair Greg Cargill introduces Adam Singer from Lewis PR

Exhibition

Companies in the social media space are constantly looking for advice and new ways that they can make sure their efforts in the space are working. While there are no definitive answers, as every company’s goals will require different methods of showing success, there are a few tips that can be followed for guidelines along the way

The following is 10 tips that I’ve learned from the fantastic community that participates in #SMmeasure. #SMmeasure started off as a weekly Twitter chat that I’m fortunate to host. It has since turned into a community that shares interesting articles and ideas throughout the week, but still gather to chat for an hour every Thursday at noon(EST)/9am(PST). This list is the second part in this series. If you missed part one, be sure to check out our first 10 tips learned through #SMmeausre here. (more…)

According to a study by SAS and the Harvard Business Review, by 2012, 88% of companies will use social media worldwide.

Well, 2012 is just around the corner, and if you haven’t taken the steps to make your business socially active and aware, now is a great time to start! Meltwater Buzz, our social media monitoring, engagement and management platform, is the perfect tool to help you build and drive your social business.

How?  We’ve broken it down to six core steps.

(more…)

This November the Social Media World Forum will be landing in New York and we are giving you the chance to win an access all areas workshop pass as well as an invitation to the evening networking party.

What can you expect from #SMWF N. America?

SMWF North America will be providing a format for networking, engagement, and lots of social media debate around the latest tools, technologies, platforms, and emerging trends within social media marketing.

With predicted numbers of 2500 + attendees the show has grown significantly and will host a variety of free to attend Social media Hub & paid conferences for marketers, PR professionals, brands, agencies and SME’s. (more…)

1. Two days of action packed engaging content within 30+ sessions, across three tracks covering all aspects of the social media & apps ecosystem.

If you’re looking for a job, your online profile is more important to you now than ever before, even more so if you are looking for a job within social media!

Social media now plays a role in finding, positioning and promoting yourself to your potential future employer. With strong competition from other applications social media offers a great way to find a job and stand out from the crowd. (more…)

SMWF have teamed up with the Ritz Carlton, Singapore to offer all SMWF Asia visitors a discount rates for the duration of the show.

Please note: Rates are only available until the 15th Aug, so if you would like to stay at the hotel we recommend booking asap before allocation runs out.

Room Rates:
Deluxe Rooms, Kallang Bay View
S$ 320.00 per room, per night including 01 Buffet Breakfast & Internet

*This rate is available from the 31st Aug – 2nd Sept

To Book:
To take advantage of the above discounted room rates simply contact  The Ritz Carlton on (65) 6 337 8888 and quote Social Media World Forum.

The Ritz Carlton,
7 Raffles Avenue,
Singapore 039799
Singapore

Other Hotels located near the Suntec Centre include:

Hotel Grand Pacific                                               Price from:  S$220
101 Victoria Street
Singapore 188018
T : +65 6336 0811
E : reservations@hotelgrandpacific.com.sg W: www.hotelgrandpacific.com.sg/

HOTEL 81 – BUGIS                                                 Price from:  S$120 – 140
31 Middle Road Singapore 188995
T: + 65 6339 8181
W: www.hotel81.com.sg/h

SMWF Asia comes to Singapore on 1-2 September, offering social media marketing advice and in-depth insight into how brands and businesses across Asia are using channels like Facebook and Twitter to connect with their customers, build communities, monitor brand reputation, advertise and even sell their products directly.

Some of the world’s leading social media thinkers will gather to provide discussion and analysis around the unique and diverse regional factors that affect take-up, market development and strategic effectiveness of these techniques. (more…)